Mano a Mano/Delray Beach

I've eaten my share of tapas, but I've never been to Spain. So as I often do when faced with a cuisine with which I have limited experience, I find a friend with the right credentials. Let me tell you right away that my friend -- born in New York to a Spanish mother and Venezuelan father -- wasn't impressed with the authenticity of the offerings at Delray Beach's Mano a Mano.

But when she turned off her Spanish palate, she, like the rest of us, thought some of the dishes weren't half bad. The chef here is Gary Wood, who most recently was executive chef at the now shuttered Aura and before that sous chef at 32 East.

Open since June, Mano a Mano is the first restaurant in the United States for Barbara and Jim Dobson, who now live in Marbella, Spain, and their partner Pedro Garcia, who lives in Amsterdam. The Dobsons own 18 other tapas bars, Argentine steakhouses, Tex-Mex and Italian restaurants in Amsterdam and St. Martin. Garcia has four restaurants in Amsterdam.

Jim Dobson had spent time at the Fort Lauderdale boat show during the years, but happened across Delray Beach almost by accident when he and Garcia were forced to detour off of I-95. They fell in love with Atlantic Avenue, gutted a space and built a restaurant that now includes wonderful cracked tile mosaics imported from Spain and a very long bar.

Yes, Mano a Mano is all about the bar. I think I saw every premium liquor brand imaginable. Unfortunately, the wine list isn't the best, but I'm told that's something they're reworking. Same goes for beer, with not a single microbrew or Spanish offering among the three choices. Even the sangria was weak.

The owners are discovering that we need lots of educating when it comes to tapas. So much so that they've added a more traditional appetizer/salads/entrees section to the menu. We stuck almost exclusively to the tapas. It's best to think of Mano a Mano as an evening of cocktails and heavy appetizers.

Our servers seemed inexperienced, yet eager. And our waiter knew the menu. But we got the distinct impression that the restaurant was being managed from the kitchen and not by a front-of-the-house manager. Good restaurants need both.

Fried calamari ($6.95) were not quite as crisp as we'd liked and the arrabiata sauce tasted of tomato paste. Better were patatas bravas ($5.95), fried potatoes served with a sauce that seemed to be a mix of mayo and cayenne. Another dish featured grilled goat cheese with hot sauce and caramelized brown sugar ($6.95) that satisfied both our creamy and spicy needs. Bacon-wrapped dates ($6.75) were very good. Tortilla española ($6.75), an omelet made with potatoes, didn't have enough seasoning. Garlic, maybe?

Traditional Spanish pie ($6.95) starts with a puff pastry shell that is then filled with chorizo and caramelized onions. But like the grilled chorizo ($6.95), we didn't think the sausage was spicy enough. Maybe the American palate prefers this Bratwurst-style sausage. The chimichurri sauce with the grilled chorizo made up for some of the spice.

Depending on the size of your party, you'll sometimes need to double or triple your tapas orders. The lamb chops ($7.95), which I highly recommend, come two to an order. They're served with some very crispy house-made potato chips and, on this night, some undercooked ratatouille.

Bread is served with what the restaurant calls garlic aioli, but this aioli also includes yogurt. The result is closer to American ranch dressing, and it's very good.

We ordered one appetizer, roasted onion ($7.75), which is filled with manchego cheese and fresh thyme and served with one small slice of grilled bread topped with Serrano ham. It tasted like real Serrano. The kitchen gladly sliced an entree of Argentine skirt steak ($17.95), which was quite good and not a bad value.

The dessert list (all $5.95) is small: crema catalana, chocolate mousse, cheesecake and a special of white chocolate mousse with cherry sauce. All were just fine. But we had ordered so many tapas that we barely had room.

There's a place on Atlantic Avenue for Mano a Mano, a place for a drink and a bite to eat, when you're not in the mood for a heavy multi-course meal. The restaurant opens for lunch starting Monday.

Please phone in advance to confirm information on hours, prices, menu items and facilities. For review consideration, please fax a current menu that includes name and address of restaurant to 954-356-4386 or send to Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-2293.
John Tanasychuk can be reached at jtanasychuk@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4632 or by writing to him at the Sun-Sentinel.